David Manowitz

Energy questions have been at the heart of technological and societal developments for the past several centuries and will continue to be a driving force for the foreseeable future. Consequently, the sustainability of modern Western society and the growth of emerging countries will depend on how we manage global energy resources.
Technology alone will not be able to provide solutions, but policy discussions that are informed by science and consider multiple complex political, social, and economic factors will have to play an important role. I chose the MEPP program at the University of Maryland for a number of reasons, beginning with its requirement for competence both in public policy as well as technical matters. Additionally, the University's engineering and policy schools are both highly regarded, and as my undergraduate studies were not in the same field as my area of interest, I felt that this would be ideal. Finally, its proximity to Washington DC, opens opportunities for unbeatable exposure to the hothouse of public policy.

Education before MEPP: BS, Mathematics / Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; MEng, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Fields of Study: Engineering & Energy Policy

Hometown: Tampa, FL

Previous Experience: Senior software engineer and team lead at OPNET Technologies, Inc.

Internship: Internship: US Department of Energy (read my practicum report "Assessing Carbon Sequestration Options Using Real Options / Stochastic Dynamic Programming")